1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to lighting systems and, more particularly, is directed towards a lighting system for providing natural light to building interiors.
2. The Prior Art
Historically, the role of providing natural lighting to and throughout a building has been one of the most influential factors in the design and construction of the building. Daylight and sunlight are characterized by constant change, the quality and quantity of the light changing with the seasons, with the weather, and throughout the day from daybreak until sunset. It is known that the path of the sun varies with the time of the year, as well as with the altitude and the azimuth of the sum and with the time of day. Thus, in any given place, a building may be seen under many different kinds of lighting, while its orientation will give it a special relationship to the sun. In contrast to natural light, artificial light strives to give uniform illumination by maintaining a constant intensity with a particular spectral distribution. The addition of supplemental natural light to artificial light, with its vitality and ever-changing state, provides the environment with an aesthetic appearance.
Prior natural lighting systems have suffered from transmission losses of such magnitude as to render them uneconomical. The transmission losses of the prior natural lighting systems have been particularly severe when illumination in the deep zone of a structure has been required.